


i will always fear to hope again

by kalypsobean



Category: The Silmarillion and other histories of Middle-Earth - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Character Death, Dom/sub Undertones, Implied Sexual Content, M/M, Mind Control, Torture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-24
Updated: 2015-12-24
Packaged: 2018-05-09 00:14:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,210
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5518292
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kalypsobean/pseuds/kalypsobean
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The first of the rings created by Annatar was given to Celebrimbor, and he wore it always.</p>
            </blockquote>





	i will always fear to hope again

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Ias](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ias/gifts).



Annatar came among them bearing gifts: jewels and knowledge and art. Chief among his admirers was Celebrimbor, the greatest jeweller in Eregion. It was thought that he alone among Fëanor's descendants inherited the gift of smithwork, for while there were many smiths in Arda, only he could bend ithildin to his will, and suspend jewels in settings so light they appeared to float. 

It was only natural that Annatar should hold Celebrimbor closest of all, for under Annatar's tutelage, the jewels emerging from Celebrimbor's workshop were brighter, with a deeper fire and colours so rich they shone even in the dark. 

The first of the rings created by Annatar was given to Celebrimbor, and he wore it always.

 

Celebrimbor, though he was of a celebrated line and highly regarded in both his craft and his affairs, had no family or close friends, save Annatar. There were none who noticed when he did not emerge from the workshop for days at a time, none who brought him meals or pulled him away from his jewels to the waterfalls. He did not care, if he noticed, for he was learning how to cut jewels from rock and craft them into creatures, poised as if they were just waiting for their crystal hearts to beat, and new life was so close he sometimes felt his fëa slip into his jewels. He grew thin, and he was pleased, for his fingers were lighter and that meant he could work with wires even finer; he fashioned glass from sand and used it to magnify his work, so that he could see each detail as he twisted it into form. It did not matter if he was weak, for if he could not work, Annatar would work in his place until he was able to continue.

 

It was only occasionally that they rested, and even then, he was not separated from the gift-giver. Annatar lay with him in the small bed Celebrimbor had in the corner of his workshop, separated from his tools only by a curtain and their clothes, which lay on the floor, tangled in each other. Celebrimbor would lie as if enchanted, awake but unable to move, Annatar's words whispered in his ear but hanging in the air as if they explained the mystery in Eru's grandest plan. He always leaned into Annatar's touch, as if he was helpless but to allow Annatar to mould him to the way he needed to be, to produce greater and greater jewels, ones to surpass the Silmarils. With Annatar at his back, he could imprison the essence of the earth in a jewel, and in the few hours of sleep he had, he dreamed of an abyss so black it appeared to be endless. 

 

Celebrimbor's rings were held in the highest of regard and indeed, soon he made nothing but rings, crafted especially for each Elf who asked for one. He had learned well; he imbued them with magic that would allow them to be handed down, for they would adjust to the size of the wearer, if that wearer was meant to have it. In some jewels, he imprisoned magic that would give the wearer special gifts, or allow them greater control of their own powers. In the creation of all of these, Annatar was instrumental; he whispered in Celebrimbor's ear and guided Celebrimbor's hands, and sometimes an alien fëa slipped into them along with his own. 

 

But Celebrimbor grew confident in his nascent knowledge and the depth of his gifts, and sought to create rings of his own. In secret, when Annatar walked outside the workshop, delivering their rings to their wearers, he created rings of which Annatar knew nothing. He made the Ring of Fire, which gave the wearer power over the elements of light and fire, and he called it Narya. He made the Ring of Water, which conveyed power over water and ice, and he named it Nenya. He made the Ring of Air, which held the power of the wind and shadow, and it was called Vilya. These three rings were the greatest of his works, and if they were held together the wearers had power over all things, including the spirits of the Elves near them. For this reason, Celebrimbor kept them secret from Annatar, and by cover of night he delivered them to Galadriel, the wisest and oldest of all the Elves whom he knew. Galadriel was shocked by Celebrimbor's appearance, for they were kin and of long acquaintance, and she forced him to stay with her in her lodgings, to eat and drink and sleep. She also took from him the ring made by Annatar, for she did not have one of her own and saw the dark geas surrounding Celebrimbor for what it was. 

 

Annatar was enraged when he learned of this, and it was not so long after it happened that he did, for his fëa was in that ring, as it was in all the rings they had made, and he felt it in his heart when it left Celebrimbor's finger, just as he had been aware of the rings Celebrimbor crafted from the earth. His own geas dropped, for he could not concentrate to maintain it, and Galadriel saw him for what he was: a deceiver and a trickster. It was she who cast him out, with Celebrimbor at her side, as if he were her shadow and dared not leave her in case he was lost to the darkness.

 

Annatar came back for Celebrimbor, though; they had shared too much for him to do anything less, and when they were reunited he did not seek to renew Celebrimbor's affection for him with gifts, or knowledge, or jewels. He sought it by force, and Celebrimbor's fëa was too weak to resist him; indeed, Celebrimbor had not created a thing since he was separated from Annatar, and he himself did not know if his weakness was in spirit or body. By then, it was too late, for the Rings had been dispersed and were kept hidden by the magic of untainted wearers, and the only thing that would appease Annatar was not within Celebrimbor's power to give. He weathered the torture for many days, for there was too little of him left to care when his fingers were broken and healed unset, becoming deformed and swollen, unable to hold even a quill. He did not care when Annatar cut his eyes from his face, for he could still feel the magic of the earth, though it pulsed dully and far below the ground, and with that he was still able to see the abyss and seek its secrets. He did not mind when Annatar cut him and hit him and screamed at him, for it meant that he had not lost his friend even though he no longer had his workshop.

He did not care when the first arrow pierced his chest, or when the last one pierced his heart, for what was left of his fëa fled to Mandos' halls, there to learn from his ancestor, Fëanor and with him, create jewels worthy of the Valar, though neither the Silmarils nor the Rings of Power were ever matched, in fire or in craft.


End file.
